As the Cubs sit 4.5 games out of the final NL wild-card spot --- with the Braves and Mets ahead of them --- the North Side needs to take a good look in the mirror.
With a team they expected to, at minimum, make the playoffs, it's hard to spell out what's next for the Cubs. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, President Jed Hoyer is expected to return to his post in 2025. But friction exists in the Cubs front office, according to a new report.
"There is internal friction in the Chicago Cubs’ front office, high-ranking officials say, but despite their disappointing season, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, will return in 2025," Nightengale reported on Monday.
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Hoyer might be a constant in the Cubs front office moving forward, even after a likely fourth consecutive season without reaching the playoffs. But Nightengale reports changes have already started taking place in the front office.
"On the North Side, the Cubs fired four younger scouts while slashing their budget," Nightengale wrote. "... The Cubs also told their scouting department that they no longer will scout games at any level except the complex league and Dominican Summer League."
Hoyer has made a slew of moves in recent years in efforts to shore up the Cubs, including signing Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger and Shota Imanaga. And while the team has been in playoff contention each of the last two Septembers, they will in all likelihood miss the postseason even with expanded fields thanks to the addition of a third wild card.
Hoyer took over as the president of baseball operations after Theo Epstein stepped aside in Nov. 2020. In the four seasons since, the Cubs have failed to make the playoffs, and were forced to trade away players like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, among others.
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According to Marquee Sports Network, Hoyer is under contract through the end of the 2025 season after signing a five-year deal when he took over the top job in 2020.
How will the Cubs bounce back next season if they can't make any noise in the postseason this year?